


Glass Slippers

by UnderworldAngel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Assassination, Gen, Kings & Queens, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Modern Royalty, Nobility, Princess - Freeform, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 13:41:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12037065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnderworldAngel/pseuds/UnderworldAngel
Summary: Most little girls dream of being a princess. Wearing gorgeous gowns, attending fancy balls & marrying a handsome prince. But Marinette never saw the beauty in those things, in fact she always thought being a princess was more of a burden than a blessing. She should know, her grandmother is the current Empress of China! Which is enough for her to keep that part of her life a secret.





	1. Chapter 1

" _Do not wander, my little_ _húdié_ _."_

_Five-year-old Marinette halted in mid-skip to glance over at her grandmother._ _Seated on a carved, plush loveseat, was Cheng Xi-Feng or Xi-Feng Cheng, Marinette's grandmother's and Sabine's mother. Petite, fair skinned with long ebony hair pinned up with an ivory hair comb, Xi-Feng, even in her fifties, still possessed all the air, grace and youthfulness that was usually considered for people half her age. Dressed in a red & black summer robe with flora deorum, the elder woman held a guzheng in her lap, a Chinese string instrument in which little Marinette dubbed the 'weird, flat harp', which Xi-Feng played as she sung._

" _Sorry, wài pó_ _," replied Marinette, running up to her and laying her head on the corner of Xi-Feng's knee._

" _It's alright, I just don't want you getting lost in the garden," Xi-Feng patted her young granddaughter on the head, "Now, this song is called Mo Li Hua, 'The Jasmine Flower'. It's your mother's favorite."_

_Plucking and tuning the strings, Xi-Feng's voice carried out as she sang._ _"Hǎo yī duǒ měi lì de mò li huā_ _, Hǎo yī duǒ měi lì de mò li huā. Fēn fāng měi lì mǎn zhī yā, yòu xiāng yòu bái rén rén kuā."_

_Marinette hummed under her breath as Xi-Feng kept singing. She loved listening to her grandmother sing, believing her to have the most beautiful voice in the world. Deciding it would be more fun to dance than to hum, Marinette picked up the skirt of her daxiushan and started twirling about in the center of the pavilion they were in. Xi-Feng let out a small giggle as she watch her granddaughter spine. 'Such innocence,' Xi-Feng thought wistfully._

" _You'll make yourself dizzy," warned Xi-Feng._

" _I'm okay," Marinette replied, her steps a bit shaky._

_Glancing outside, Xi-Feng saw that the previously grey sky had cleared into a cheerful blue. "Looks like the storm has passed. Why don't we take a stroll around the garden?"_

_Marinette gave a toothy smile and ran outside of the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Spring. Xi-Feng followed behind but at a slower, calmer pace. There was no need to chase after the hyperactive child, not when there were a dozen guards surrounding the perimeter with some nearby, hidden behind trees and rock formation._

_Thankfully, Marinette didn't go far before her attention was caught by a patch of blooming jasmine shrubs near the Hill of Soaring Elegance. The plants towered over the tiny girl, shadowing her from the sun and encompassing her with its sweet aroma. Giggling, Marinette got on her hands and knees and tried to climb into the bush, wanting to play a quick game of hide and seek with grandma, before someone above her loudly cleared their throat._

_Looking up, she saw that it was one of those large men who followed her grandma around in a dark suit with white gloves. "Non," he said in a deep voice, shaking his head. Marinette shrugged and got up, brushing the dirt from her skirt. While the men didn't speak French, only knowing very basic words, she knew when they say no to what you're doing, you'd better stop it._

_Xi-Feng turned the corner and came into view, giving a short nod to her guard to both thank and dismiss him. Xi-Feng crouched down to Marinette's level as they traced the flowers on the shrub. "I see you found your mother's favorite spot."_

" _Momma's spot?" asked Marinette._

" _She loved jasmines," replied Xi-Feng, "She planted this bush herself when she was a child."_

_"Did you and momma plant all these flowers, grandma?" asked Marinette, toying with a tiny flower she plucked from the bush._

_"No my húdié, most of these plants have been here long before I was born," Xi-Feng answered, giving the flowers a sniff, "Cultivated by the most talented gardeners and passed down through generations. My only contribution was planting China roses."_

_Marinette exclaimed, her eyes shining brightly, "Are they still here?"_

_"Yes, my mom and I planted them in front of the Gate of Earthly Tranquility. It became tradition for each child of the family to have their own plant in the garden," Xi-Feng slowly got up and held out her hand, "Would you like to see them?"_

_Marinette squealed and rapidly nodded her head. Hand in hand, the two females walked towards the south gate, enjoying the scenery and listening to the birds. Truly, these were the moments that Xi-Feng treasured in these times, spending time with her granddaughter in the gardens or swapping stories with her daughter in one of their seating room. Moments that made her feel as if she was just a normal mother and grandparent and not a powerful political figure in her country._

_'But life isn't a fairy tale,' Xi-Feng thought, 'Best thing I can do is make it easier for my family.'_

_"Is that it, grandma?" asked Marinette, snapping her grandmother out of her thoughts._

_Looking up, Xi-Feng spotted her rose bush, in full bloom and in glorious shades of orange and pink. Marinette released her grandmother's hand and ran over to the bush. "Careful of the thorns!" shouted Xi-Feng, quickening her pace to catch up with her granddaughter._

_"Don't worry, I will," shouted Marinette as she stopped in front of the roses, taking a deep breath and enjoying the aroma._

_Huffing and calming her breath, Xi-Feng sat down in front of her hedge, reminiscing about her and her mother, rest her soul, sitting in this exact spot. The two of them with a spade in their hands and a tiny pot containing a rose seedling, digging a hole in a sparse flowerbed and transfering her seedling to the ground. Wonderful times those were, when world was small and she still believed that there was good in the world._

_"These roses are even bigger than the ones back home," stated Marinette._

_"That's because I use magic to make them grow so big," replied Xi-Feng in a teasing tone._

_Her granddaughter gasped and looked at her with wide eyes, "Really?!"_

_"Yep," nodding her head, "I use my magic to make sure that I always have the biggest flowers in the world! When I was about your age, they had gotten so big that I could climb inside the flower and take a nap on the petals!"_

" _And now it's all yours!" Marinette exclaimed, "You're so lucky. All me and mom have are small potted plants on the roof."_

"' _Mom and I,' corrected Xi-Feng, "And that's alright. I always find it important to surround yourself with nature, no matter how small or large it may be."_

_Marinette pouted before her grandmother added, "And you're more than free to come to my garden when you visit me."_

" _Oh, you can come and visit me and mom in Paris!" offered Marinette, "Paris has lots and lots of pretty gardens."_

_Xi-Feng became silent, a look of forlorn passed through her. "I'm sorry, Marinette, but I cannot."_

" _Why not?" asked Marinette, "You have a plane, can't you tell someone to fly you to Paris?"_

" _I'm afraid it's more complicated than that," she replied._

" _You always say that," Marinette started getting upset. She couldn't understand why her grandma didn't want to come to Paris with her. Did she not like Paris? Was she scared of flying like momma is?_

" _Húdié, you know I would love nothing more than to go to Paris with you," began Xi-Feng._

" _Then why don't you?" Marinette looked up at her._

" _I wish I could explain it to you, my dear, truly I do," stated Xi-Feng, "But I'm afraid you wouldn't understand. I can't leave China, my húdié. The government won't allow me to visit you freely. I'm too important. People will notice if I leave without good reasons and will find out about you and your mother."_

_"Why is that so bad?" Marinette never understood why she couldn't tell people who her grandmother was. Momma had forbidden her from ever speaking about her wài pó_ _with other people. "You can mentioned you have a grandma, but you can't tell anyone about her," her mother had told her, "Just tell them that she lives in China."_

_"Why are mom and me a secret?"_

_"Mom and I," corrected Xi-Feng, "And you'll understand when you're older."_

_"Why can't you tell me now…?" mumbled Marinette._

_Xi-Feng kissed Marinette on the top of her head before plucking a nearby rose, sans the thorns, and tucked it behind her granddaughter's ear. "Marinette, we don't tell you these things to hurt you, we just want to protect you. I know it doesn't seem this way for now, but as you get older and become wiser, you'll finally understand."_

_"...okay," muttered Marinette, "Can mom and I still visit you every year?"_

_"Of course," chuckled the older woman, "I would be heartbroken if you didn't visit."_

" _Yay!" cheered Marinette, completely forgetting her previously negative mood._

" _Xi-Feng nǚhuáng," the two turned around to see a bowing attendent, her eyes never leaving the ground, "Zhèngfǔ guānyuán yāoqiú nǐ chūxí."_

" _Hěn hǎo. Nǐ kěyǐ líkāi," replied Xi-Feng._

_The attendent bowed again before returning towards the entrance doors of the palace. Rising up, Xi-Feng held out her hand towards her granddaughter. "It seems I've been called to another boring meeting. Why don't I take you inside, I'm sure Xue and the other ladies would love to play dress up with you."_

" _Yeah!" cheered Marinette as her grandmother effortlessly picked her up and carried her into the palace._

_~o~0~o~_

" _Lift your head, my dear," ordered a tight faced older women, dressed in a form fitting suit, holding a ruler underneath Marinette's chin, tapping it gently upwards, "Keeps those books still."_

" _Yes, sifu Lian," replied Marinette, lifting her head a bit to keep the stack of books on her head balance._

" _Marinette gōngzhǔ," chirped a young maid, peeking from behind the entrance of the room, "Her Imperial Highness has asked that you join her and her advisors for dinner tonight. Shall I have the servants spread out your garments and dress you in an hour?"_

" _Yes please," replied Marinette, turning her eyes towards the girl, "And thank you."_

" _Straighten your back, relax your shoulder," retorted Lian, circling the pigtailed girl, "Walk slowly towards the wall, not right up to it but about eight inches from it, turn and walk back. Not too slowly, you're not a snail, and not too quickly or you'll drop the books."_

_Sighing, Marinette did as she was instructed. As a child, she would do the same thing, place books on her head, to 'practice the princess walk' like they showed in picture books and cartoons. But the actual practice was boring and tedious. This was just one of the many different lessons forced upon her as she got older._

_Long gone were the days where she and her grandmother could go outside to the gardens or stroll down the many, seemly endless hallways. Instead, they were replaced with lesson plans, fittings and physical training. Everything from etiquette to geography to martial arts were forced upon her._ _'_ _The basic outline any child of the Chinese monarch must learn and study' was what one of her instructors had told her, 'To teach her what her mother, her mother's mother, and previous ancestors have been taught before.' She blamed her grandmother's advisors, whom had taken one look at a 13-year-old Marinette and decided that, while not being in line for the throne, she must take part in the duties of a noble lady._

_This is how her once excitable trips to China became a mixture of dread and uncertainty. Security got even tighter during the years, being confined to certain rooms when outside guests or visiting diplomats enter the Forbidden City. She did meet a few children of those visiting diplomats, the ones that were China's allies at least, but they didn't stick around much. Marinette became a very lonely girl in the Forbidden City, even when she was surrounded by teachers, staff and family._

_Even her studies caused her pain. Chinese Mandarin was near impossible for her to learn. Writings just looked like weird scribbling and she was paralyzed about mispronouncing any words. Seriously, mispronounce one vowel or accidently the order of a sentence and you could go from greeting someone to cursing them out. After a year of that nightmare, she just gave up. 'I'm from France, when will I ever need to read, speak or write in Mandarin?' she thought._

_She did, however, manage to keep up with her other studies. Etiquette lessons were fairly simple; geography, literature and economy were a bit difficult, but not any more so than the ones she had back in France; music lesson was a pain but she could struck a few cords on guzheng. By far the most enjoyable class she had was physical training, AKA martial arts. Cliché as it may be, Marinette absolutely loved the combat fighting system, despite the pain she got when her sifu battered her in spars._

_By the time she had reached her mid-teens, her knowledge of the country, culture and custom went from mediocre to average. Not as well rounded as previous heiresses before, but enough for the advisors to get off her back and focus primarily on her two male cousins, the ones who would inherit the throne. Which was fine with her! No sooner had they announced that, Marinette dropped all her lessons, saved for her favorites like martial arts. She thought it best to keep those._

_And so the years went on, her grandmother on the throne, her presence a secret and her cousins in deep study. Around those years is when she fully started to understand who her grandmother was and what she meant to China. The gravity of the situation at hand, the position her grandmother held and what is meant for her mother and herself hit her like a ton of bricks. What would happen to her should people ever find out about her and her grandmother? What changes would occur and what her life would be life afterwards? She speculated, and the results were never pleasant._

_The only hope Marinette had was that by the time her secret was revealed, if it was revealed at all, she would have lived passed a time where it could truly affect her and it wouldn't mess up too much of her life. Until then, she still visited her grandmother every year, but kept to the shadows of the palace. That was fine, she didn't want any attention. Well, not the attention that came with revealing who your family was. No, Marinette wanted no part of that, she wanted a normal life, doing normal things like going to school and hanging out with friends. Not be trapped in a gold-gilded cage._

_And for the time, Marinette was pretty successful, focusing more on her schoolwork and her goal of becoming a designer back in France than her hidden 'life' in China. Though she doubts anyone would make the connection with clumsy, shy Marinette Dupain-Cheng to China's ruling monarchy. Cheng was a common family name in China, so it wouldn't raise any flags. Besides, it was announced earlier in the year the Xi-Feng would be stepping down soon, passing her reign down to her son, Sabine's half-brother and Marinette's uncle. Public focus would turn on her uncle and her male cousins, thus her family would be safe since she would be 'out of the running' when her cousins came of age, got married and bore heirs._

_Until that day comes, she happily stayed in the shadows and away from prying eyes. As far as anyone knew Marinette Dupain-Cheng was NOT the granddaughter of Empress Cheng Xi-Feng of China._

~o~0~o~

"Marinette!" called out Sabine, "Marinette, come downstairs, you have a package for you!"

'Package?' thought Marinette as she looked up from the embroidery she was stitching for a new dress. Putting aside the fabric and needle, Marinette made her way downstairs to see her mother hauling in two large boxes covered in tape and stamps. "This one is yours," Sabine gesture to the box on top with a large postage stamp with a dragon symbol on it.

"Thanks mom! I'll open it upstairs," said Marinette as she took the box and jogged back up to her room, locking the trapdoor behind her.

Tikki flew out of her hiding place and swirled around the mystery package. "Who's it from?" the kwami asked.

"My grandma," Marinette replied and grabbed a box cutter she kept in her drawer, "She usually sends my family gifts this time around."

"What's the occasion?"

"No occasion, just a gift," the box cutter slide smoothly across the cardboard, breaking the seal. Marinette opened it and started digging through the large amounts of packing peanuts inside before pulling out her gift. Up to the light and in clear view was a beautifully woven qípáo, or cheongsam, crafted from silk and lace. The top part was made entirely of intricate red lace that wrapped around her torso with an open back and cap sleeves. Near the waist, the lace fused in with a silk skirt in a trumpet design that stopped at the ground with excess lace leaving a train behind.

"It's gorgeous!" gushed Tikki, circling the dress to admire it from all angles, "Your grandmother must have paid a lot of money to have this made!"

'Or asked the royal seamstress to make me another qí páo in red this time,' Marinette didn't have the heart to tell the little kwami that this was her sixth qí páo her grandmother had sent to her. Heck, she still had that beautiful royal blue qí páo that Grandma Xi-Feng sent her last year stored somewhere in her drawers. She held the dress up to the mirror and imagined wearing it, maybe to some fancy gala or fashion show. Maybe she could wear it when she visits her grandmother for Christmas this year. Xi-Feng always hosted small gatherings during the winter months. Members of the family and royal courts only, free to mingle about without hiding. Though she would probably have to explain her grandmother's 'occupation' to Tikki before that.

"I should give her a call to thank her for the gift," Marinette said as she carefully hanged the dress on a hanger before heading downstairs, "Mom, do you think I could call grandma?"

"Sure, sweetie," replied Sabine, admiring the silver and turquoise earring & necklace, both were crafted to look like dragons wrapped around her ear and neck, "Let me go grab it."

Rule one of the Dupain-Cheng household: if you want to contact family in China, you must use the secure, government cellphone. Since Sabine Cheng, formally known as Sabine Cheng gùlún gōngzhǔ, was technically NOT removed from the royal family, only in hiding due to her marriage, any connection from the Sabine's family to Xi-Feng had to be through secured connections. And by 'secured connections', it meant Fort Knox times Area 51 type of security. One of the 'secured measures' was a Chinese-government issued phone that was protected by some of the most highly-sophisticated security equipment on the planet. The phone was a bit similar to an iPhone but much thicker and heavier than usual smartphones, with a fingerprint encrypted passcode that could only be opened by Sabine and Marinette. Extreme but necessary.

Handing her daughter the phone, Marinette placed her index finger on the center, watching the screen scan her fingerprint before opening it to the contact list. Tapping on the name Xi-Feng, Marinette listened at the dial tone before an elderly but gentle voice answered, "Hello."

"Ni hao, wài pó," replied Marinette, hoping she didn't butcher her Chinese greeting.

"I see you've been studying," Xi-Feng said, speaking fluent French, "Wonderful, a bit shaky on the pronunciation but I'm glad you learning your motherland's language again."

"It's...a lot hard than I remember," Marinette admitted sheepishly. After the Kung Food incident last year with her great-uncle Wang, Marinette thought it would be best if she finally went back to learning Chinese, if only to avoid another mishap. And by mishap, she meant having Alya call Adrien out of the blue and making her look like an awkward idiot. "They're just so many characters to learn and trying to keep track of which is which..."

Xi-Feng laughed, "I know, I know, but just have patience. Soon you'll be able to speak and converse with me in perfect Mandarin, my little húdié!"

Marinette winced at her grandmother's pet name. Before Tikki and the miraculous, she loved when her grandmother called her butterfly. It was cute and sweet, plus her grandmother had called her that since she was little. Now, with the akumas and Hawkmoths, it sounded less cute and less sweet, but she didn't have the heart to ask her grandmother to stop calling her that.

"I hope so," smiled Marinette, "Anyway, I wanted to call to thank you for the qí páo you sent me. It's absolutely beautiful. Send my regards to Xue for her work. She really needs to teach me how she creates her new laceworks."

"I'll see that she gives you a lesson when you visit again. Oh! Hold on, Marinette," the pigtailed girl heard a bit of crackling before hearing her grandmother's voice, a bit fainter, shouting in rapid Mandarin, " _Cheng Shen, don't you dare use that inside this house! I do not want any more scratches on this floor_!"

"Sorry about that," Xi-Feng replied, back on the line, "Your cousin has been trying to learn how to skateboard and my staff has been going insane with all the scratch marks he's been making on the wooden floor."

Marinette laughed but pitied the staff having to repair scratched up floorboards. "Tell Shen, Tingzhe, uncle Jianguo and aunt Mai I said hello."

"Speaking of Tingzhe," muttered Xi-Feng before pulling away from the phone, " _Shen dear, where is your brother? Yes Tingzhe, who else? You better not have left him outside in the Koi pond again, I don't want a repeat of the fishing incident from last year_."

"Should I call back later?" asked Marinette.

"Oh no, my little húdié," her grandmother replied, "It's just your cousins playing around, you know how boys are. I'll make sure they call you later. It's been a while since they've called you."

"Yeah," giggled Marinette. The conversation went on like that for the next half hour with Marinette and her grandmother catching up with each other, sharing what has happen in each other's lives before having to get off. She bid her grandmother a goodbye and promise to call more often. Xi-Feng bid her granddaughter a good day and asked to give her regards to her daughter.

"Sounds like you and your grandmother are really close," remarked Tikki as Marinette climbed back into her room. "How come I haven't heard of her before?"

"Because she lives in China," replied Marinette, "You see, my family in China is kind of...'important', so they really can't leave the country for extended periods, even to visit."

"Really?" Tikki gave a puzzling look, "Do they work for the government or something."

"...I guess you can say that," Marinette responded, "My grandmother has a very 'significant' position in the Chinese government, as well as my uncle, so they're needed in China often."

"Your uncle Wang?" Tikki asked, slightly confused.

"No, no," Marinette shook her head, "I mean my other uncle, Uncle Jianguo. My grandmother married twice, Uncle Wang is her brother-in-law from her first marriage and Uncle Jianguo is her son and my mom's half-brother from my grandma's second marriage. It's all pretty confusing if you don't know the family tree."

Tikki hummed but dropped the subject and asked Marinette to try on her gift. Marinette did just that and fell in love with how the fabric felt and looked upon her body, the red lace encompassing her torso,the silk skirt giving her a flattering outline. With the right pair of shoes and some makeup, she would be a knock out. She even gave it a courtesy spin just to watch the fabric move.

"Oh it's a dream, Marinette," cooed Tikki, "I hope something special comes up so you can wear it!"

"Me too," agreed Marinette. This dress was too good to keep in a box. "Come on, I need to go to the fabric store."

"Wha...why?" asked Tikki, surprised by the sudden change.

"Because this dress needs a good pair of shoes to go with it," smiled Marinette, changing back into her normal clothing, "And I have an old pair of heels I want to revamp just for this occasion. Come on, Lafayette Saltiel Drapiers has this great selection on Chinese fabric!"


	2. Red Spots & Political Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Alya talk about former Ladybugs and Chloe gets call in by her father about something 'interesting.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve decided to post both the prologue and the first chapter of Glass Slippers at the same time just to get the story moving along. Hope you like it!  
> And great news! An update on Hurricane Irma's path shows that it won't hit my family's house. Will still suffer harsh winds and torrent rainfall, but at least we won't be in the center, so that's wonderful news! And good news deserves a celebration, like a new chapter! Enjoy!

"LATE!" yelled Marinette as she ran down the street, "I'm going to be so late! Why, oh why, did there have to be an akuma attack in the morning?!"

Hawkmoth, who apparently never seemed to sleep, had let loose another akuma into the streets of Paris by the name of Nightlife: a nightclub manager who had his entire business shut down due to noise complaints from nearby residents and wanted retaliation by turning all of Paris into a 24/7 nightclub. Marinette shuddered, she never seen so many gaudy and skimpy outfits in one gathering. And all that arm flailing and hip shaking that Nightlife called 'dancing'...ugh!

"I want to feel bad for the guy but I think his akuma scarred me for life," muttered Marinette.

"Do humans really dance like that?" asked Tikki, peeking out from her wielder's purse.

"Heck no!" Marinette hissed, "Well, at least the people I know don't."

Jogging up the stairs, Marinette quickly ran into her classroom and, much to her surprise, found that class hadn't started yet. Sure, most of the students were in their seats but they were either talking, doodling or texting on their phone. Speaking of phones, Alya was frantically typing on her phone before she glanced and waved over to Marinette.

"Hey girl," called out the blogger, "Talk about good luck, huh?"

"Uh..." Marinette looked confused.

"The akuma," Alya explained, "The attack cause classes to be delayed for a few minutes. Which I say is good for you Miss Overslept."

"Ha-ha, that was terrible," replied Marinette, taking her seat next to Alya.

"True, but you can't deny it," countered Alya, "And thanks to the delay, I manage to get a couple of great shots from the latest akuma attack."

"Really? I thought the blinding strobe lights would have killed your shot," said Marinette, pulling out her notebook and pencil.

"Nope! My dad gave me this awesome new camera for my birthday and taught me some tricks about dealing with strong lighting by adjusting the F-Stop, shutter speed and ISO and tada!" Alya shoved the camera in her friend's face, "Perfect pictures!"

Marinette had to admit, the images were pretty cool if the subject matter wasn't as grim. Or tacky. A sea of revealing, color-saturated bodies underneath a barrage of neon lights above. Alya really out did herself with these. Pulling the camera back, she started flipping through the images while Marinette took the time to relax her eyes.

"They're great but I think the subject matter leaves a lot to be desired," stated Marinette.

"I don't choose the subject, I'm merely record it," smiled Alya, "And trust me, Mr. Disco is _not_ an akuma I would pick."

The two giggled until M. Bustier walked into cloud, quieting the rowdy class before starting the morning lesson. Marinette mainly zoned in and out of the lesson, something about the Hundred Years War, but she couldn't bother to pay attention as her arms still ached from the blows she took from Nightlife. She rubbed her arms at times, hoping that bruising wouldn't show up. She didn't want to spend another night with an ice bag and a bottle of aloe vera.

"...the turning point in the war occurred in 1429," M. Bustier voice pierced through Marinette's thoughts, "When Jeanne d'Arc lead the French to victory over England at Orleans."

Alya nudged Marinette with her elbow before cautiously sliding her notebook towards her. ' _Speaking of Jeanne d’Arc,_ _I found this stain glass image of her in a red armor with black spots! I think she may be a past Ladybug! I'll show you the pic later_!' it read in Alya cursive handwriting.

Marinette raised her eyebrow at that note. She remembered asking Tikki about previous Ladybugs and vaguely remembered hearing Jeanne d'Arc being mentioned among other names. It didn't really surprise he that one of French's most famous female, who was literally named the Heroine of France, was a previous Miraculous holder. She'd be more shocked if she wasn't.

"And that concludes the lesson!" finished the teacher just as the bell started ringing, "Please go through page 172 through 202 for a recap of our lesson. We have a test on it at the end of the week."

Groans and moans echoed through the room when the word 'test' was announced. M. Bustier just chuckled and bid her students goodbye. Alya whipped out her phone and pulled out an image to show to her friend. "See! Here's the image."

True to her word, Alya flashed Marinette an image of a stain glass mural depicting the famed hero of France in mid-action. In said mural, Jeanne d'Arc was depicted riding on a white stallion, decorated in a red & black armor as she wielded a huge spear. Her pose had her ready to strike a massive dragon that took up the left side of the stain glass mural. What really cinched it was the yoyo-like weapon that wrapped around Jeanne's left arm.

"Where did you find it?" asked Marinette as she zoomed in Jeanne's armor.

"It was just discovered a few years back but was never reported because they thought it was some type of error in the color since Jeanne d'Arc was never painted with red armor," explained Alya, "It was found in the basement of an old church in Rouen, France, in some hidden room when they were renovating. At first they thought it was a rejected art piece or that some type of water damage or mold had changed the color of the armor. But when they examined it more, they found that it was neither and that the artwork was hidden to. According the note that was found with it, it was to 'preserve the true form of Saint Jeanne...and prove she was chosen by the Heavens to lead French to victory'. Pretty cool right?"

Marinette nodded. ' _That sounds about right. Mistaking magical jewels-based powers as being blessed by God as a Saint. Then again Tikki is a technically a god. Whoa...well that something else to think about. Maybe Jeanne's 'vision from god' was just talking about Tikki. Need to ask her about this_."

"Daddy~" Marinette jumped as Chloe strolled passed her, whining _very loudly_. "I already booked a reservation at L'Abeille for lunch, I can't cancel it!"

There was some muffled talking, most likely from Mayor Bourgeois, before Chloe replied. "Why do I have to attend some meeting? Can you just...ugh, do I have to?...Fine!"

Chloe huffed as she shut off her phone. "Sabrina!" she barked to her timid bespectacled colleague, "Try to reschedule my lunch at L'Abeille for tomorrow. Dad wants me to attend this stupid meeting of his. Said it was 'important' or something."

The pair headed towards the exit as Alya and Marinette hung back a bit until they saw the pair leave in Chloe's car. "Well now that they’re gone," began Alya, "Lunch at your folk's bakery!"

"Really?" laughed Marinette, "You didn't think of asking before making decision?"

"Alright. Marinette do you mind that we'll be eating at your parent's bakery?" Alya asked.

Marinette just shook her head as they entered through the backdoor. Both waved hello to Mr. & Mrs. Dupain-Cheng as she headed upstairs, grabbing a few pastries on the way. "Now that I know there were other Ladybugs beside our current one, I'm planning a full-scale research report for my Ladyblog."

"Uh-huh, and how long will this take, and more importantly, how will you manage to rope me into helping you?" questioned Marinette as she reached into the fridge for some butter, ham, cheese and tomatoes.

"To answer the second question, you're my best friend," Alya answered, ripping off chunks on the freshly baked baguette, "Plus you own me for helping you babysit Manon when her parents left for that weekend trip."

"Of course," smirked Marinette, grabbing a piece of bread.

"And I don't know how long this will take," Alya took a slice of tomato into her mouth, "Maybe just do like an hour of research per day."

"Knowing you Alya, you'll start for an hour and then end up doing an all-nighter," remarked Marinette.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," her friend said before the two burst into laughter.

~o~0~o~

"Chloe! My little princess, there you are!" gushed André Bourgeois.

"Daddy!~Why do I have to be here?" whined Chloe as she came into her father's office, "Sabrina had to reschedule my reservation. I had to have her go get me a pre-made lunch, ugh!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie, but this is really important for me," began her father, "And for you too."

The father-daughter pair were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Standing in the corner of the room, unnoticed by Chloe when she first entered, was a tall waif-like man of Asian descent staring at them intensely. He wore a three-piece suit with polished dress shoes, slicked black hair and thin wired glasses. In his hand held an old, leather-bound book titled _De l'un au multiple_ , one of the many books of her father's private collection, which the stranger closed with a 'thup'.

"Finally," the man spoke with a thick Chinese accent, "Let us commenced this meeting."

"Shouldn't you wait for your party to arrive," suggested Mayor Bourgeois.

"No need," the stranger took a seat in one of the chairs, "Our empress has been notify of the current travel plan so they are busy doing damage control."

Mayor Bourgeois raised an eyebrow by didn't say anything about this. "Alright. Oh, this is my daughter, Chloe," he introduced his sour faced child.

"Charmed," replied the man, sounding anything but.

"Chloe, this is Mr. Nianzu Ngai, the Chinese Ambassador to France," introduced Mr. Bourgeois.

"Hello," Chloe waved awkwardly at the man.

"Mr. Ngai brings wonderful news from his country and I thought you would be interested in hearing all about it," smiled the mayor.

' _Uh huh_ ,' groaned Chloe as she reached into her bag for her phone. Normally her father wouldn't include her in such meetings and only tell her the bare bones afterwards. She couldn't stand hearing a couple of old guys talking about politics and regulations or whatever they did. Chloe only hoped she didn't stay too long or, at the very least, they would get to the part that her dad found 'interesting'.

“Well then, let’s get right into this impromptu meeting, shall we,” Mr. Ngai waved his hand, “As you are aware, our government officials visit allied force every quadrennium. Normaly Xi-Feng nǚhuáng would be in attendance, however Jianguo wángzǐ will be taking her place this year.”

‘ _Ugh, can’t these people speak French_?’ thought Chloe, scrolling down her Twitter feed, hoping to find something good enough to capture her time.

“Ah, I see. It would be nice to finally meet Monsieur Jianguo,” smiled Andre. 

“‘ _Jianguo wángzǐ_ ,’” corrected Nianzu, “Or Prince Jianguo if you use French terminology.” "Prince?" Chloe perked up from her phone, "China has royalty?" 

"Yes..." drawled out Nianzu, "Our current monarch is nearing the end of her reign and will soon hand the throne over to her son near the end of the year. Prince Jianguo has decided that if he to assume the throne soon, he should take a more hands on approach to our treaties and trade agreement with our allies."

"And how old is the prince?" asked Chloe, trying to be nonchalant.

"The current prince, soon to be king, is in his mid-50s..." began Nianzu.

' _Ugh, forget it_...' thought Chloe, turning back to her phone.

"...and his sons, the future heirs, are 16 and 17 respectively," Nianzu ended.

' _Never mind_!' Chloe put her phone away as she turned to the Chinese ambassador.

"The prince and his family will be visiting France within a week’s time," stated Nianza, "We know that such changes at such a short time is an inconvenience to all but Prince Jianguo believes that since he will be inheriting the crown soon, he wishes for his sons to become familiarize with our country’s allies and their relationships.”

“Which in turn is why I’m coming to you, Mayor Bourgeois,” Nianza pulled out a tablet from seemly thin air, “The previous reservation the government booked for the prince and his family have been…shall we say ‘compromised’ and we in need of a new location to station the family.”

“Compromised?” asked Andre.

“Information has been leaked about the family’s location and they do not feel safe residing there,” explained Nianza, “Which is why I came to you. You are one of the few government officials that own private lodging with adequate security and its location being impeccable to all the meetings taking place. That and our princess, Mei, seems to be quite fond of this hotel…”

Andre Bourgeois blushed, whether by flatter or arrogance was unknown. “Why I’m flattered…”

“Therefore, on behalf of the Chinese government and the royal family,” Nianza cut in, “I would like to propose an arrangement: allow the prince and his family to stay at Le Grand Paris for the entirety of their stay. I understand it short notice but their stay shouldn’t be for more than a week and in return we shall compensate you handsomely for your troubles.”

“I’m sure that would be no problem….” Mayor Bourgeois said.

“And we would need the entire hotel vacated for the family’s stay,” the Chinese man added, “We do not trust anyone outside our government near the crown family. With that, do you still wish to agree to this arrangement…”

“We’d love to!” jumped in Chloe, before her father could get a word.

Nianza, startled but composed himself quickly, turned to glanced at the blonde before Mayor Bourgeois cleared his throat. “What my daughter means is that we would be more than happy to house the prince and his family.”

“…then I thank you for your generosity,” began Nianza, turning over the tablet to Andre, “Here are some of the specifications that the government is asking you provide for the family…”

As the two men talked, Chloe pulled out her phone and started typing in ‘China’, ‘royal’ and ‘princes’ into the search box. Scrolling through the links, she found several images that led to the current prince, a middle aged but still fairly good-looking man named Jianguo with his wife, Mei, who was equally attractive. It wasn’t until the seventh link that she found what she was looking for: pictures of the prince’s sons.

And my goodness, they were gorgeous.

Shen and Tingzhe Cheng, Jianguo’s and Mei Cheng’s only children and, according to some chinese celebrity-focused magazine and tabloids, considered two of the most gorgeous males in their country. Shen, the eldest, had a strong rectangular face with high cheekbones, sultury dark eyes and a smile that could just make you faint. He was even dressed impecably, with a fitted three-piece suit, dark red tie, shiny dress shoes and slicked back hair. Tingzhe, the youngest, possessed a more youthful, wilder façade with a rounder face, a smirk on his lips, spiked up hair, all paired up with an open suit jacket, hands in pocket and half shut, twinkling eyes.

‘ _Did it get hot in here all of a sudden_?’ Chloe joked in her head. Prince Ali had nothing on these two.

“I’m glad we managed to come to a agreement,” Mr. Ngai’s voice snapped Chloe out of her daze.

“Yes, I’ll have the entire hotel cleared in time for their arrival,” nodded Mayor Bourgeois, “Thankfully we don’t have many guests booked at the moment.”

‘ _That means that me and those princes will be the only ones at the hotel_ ,’ thought Chloe, ‘ _And knowing that they’re princes, they probably heavily guarded, homeschool and don’t have any other people around their ages_ …’

“Papa,” spoke Chloe, using her sweet-and-innocent voice, “Why don’t I entertain the princes while they’re here. Since this is there first time in Paris, I would be more than happy to show them around the city.”

“Pardon?” Nianza raised an eyebrow to her.

“You said that their father wanted them to be familiar to their country’s allies,” began Chloe, “Then what better way them having them explore and experience Paris, France’s most famous city, first hand? I can show them around the city, introduce them to our city’s history and our most prominent citizens. And if you’re unsure, we can bring a couple of bodyguards for protection.”

‘ _And to keep out the undesirables_ ,’ Chloe thought but didn’t voice.

“Wonderful idea, Chloe,” agreed Andre, “And it would be better if the princes weren’t locked up in the hotel all day. What better way to strengthen ties then offering them the best that Paris has to offer?”

"And your daughter...?" questioned Mr. Ngai,

"My daughter is a true Parisian, born and raised in our fair city," bragged Mr. Bourgeois, "As my daughter, she knows Paris inside and out. She be the ideal hostess for the princes while they’re in our city."

Nianza didn't say anything as he stared at the blonde girl, an eyebrow raised. Chloe smiled sweetly at him, hoping that he would fall for her innocent demeanor. She needed to get in good with those princes! The last prince that visited Paris had ended up falling for her 'loser' classmate instead of her! All because Rose had to go and get herself turned into an akuma. She was pretty sure that Prince Ali was still under her love-perfume spell even after Rose return to normal.

But that was beside the point: princes! Honest to goodness princes! And from the sound of it, princes that soon would inherit an entire country! Forget Prince Ali's small kingdom on some tiny island, these Chinese princes would be rulers of one of the largest countries in the world! Being the mayor's daughter was nothing compared to being a princess or, better yet, a queen.

' _Queen Chloe_ ," mused Chloe. She _really_ liked the sound of that.

"I'm not sure our government would be entirely comfortable having a teenage girl in charge of two of our country's future rulers," he retorted.

"I assure you that Chloe has had dealing with foreign royalty before," affirmed her father, "Why just last year, Chloe assisted in the visit of Prince Ali."

"Ah yes, the prince from the Achu Kingdom," nodded Nianza, "Forgive me by wasn't there some sort of 'incident' with the visit?"

"W-what? No! Not at all," André denied, "Just some 'detours' that were needed at the time."

Nianza stared at André Bourgeois for a few seconds. "Well I'll have to go through Princess Mei about such an arrangement," he articulated, "In any case, will you secure several rooms for the royal family and their entourage?"

"As the mayor of Paris I would be more than happy to house the prince and his family," smiled Mr. Bourgeois.

"Then I shall inform Prince Jianguo," remarked Nianzu, getting up from his chair and bowing, "You will hear back from us by the end of the day."

"Very well," Mr. Bourgeois got up and escorted Mr. Ngai outside, "I'll have my employees fix up our presidential suites and will employ guards around the perimeter."

"Very good," the ambassador admitted, "I'll contact with future instructions and specifications for their visit."

"Of course, of course!" As the two exited the door, Mayor Bourgeois, turned to his daughter, "Chloe, go tell your little friend about the visiting family. Plan something for the princes, have them indulge in a little of the Parisian lifestyle.”

“Sure, papa,” replied Chloe sweetly, “I’ll make sure they have the best time here.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” said Nianzu, halting his walk, “The prince and his family are currently in a…‘delicate’ situation. It would be most appreciated if no one outside of our government were involved with the royal family. While I understand that holding public appearances and press conferences are usually expected of visiting foreign diplomats, would you mind putting off any announcement that may reveal of the family’s visitation until further notice.”

“Oh…uh, of course,” agreed Andre, “My lips are sealed.”

“It’s not your lips I’m worried about,” Nianza glanced towards Chloe.

“Oh do not worry,” Andre patted Chloe on her back, “Chloe is a good girl, she won’t mention this to anyone.”

Nianza didn’t look convinced but he seemed to understand that this was out of his hand and just sighed, allowing Andre to lead him out. Chloe quietly walked behind her father until the two reached the stairs. She held back as her father and the representative from China were walking down the stairs, still talking about last minute preparation until their voices started fading.

Once Chloe saw that both her father and the Chinese man were out of sight and earshot, she raced over to the elevator and charged straight into her room. Sabrina jumped at the sound of the door swinging open, dropping her phone in the process. The timid girl gulped, Chloe only threw doors open when she was angry.

“H-hey Chloe,” stuttered Sabrina, “I called the restaurant but they’re booked for the next few days so I’d have to cancel the reservation...”

“Forget the stupid restaurant,” hissed the blonde, “That’s not important anymore. I need you make an appointment with my salon, my hairdresser, and book a fitting for me at both Lanvin and Alexis Mabille, stat!”

“Eh...?” Sabrina stared at Chloe in shock at the sudden change of attitude.

“NOW!” yelled Chloe, snapping Sabrina into action.

“What happen? Is your father hosting another gala?” asked Sabrina as she dialed the number to Spa Valmont pour Le Meurice.

“Nope, better,” gushed Chloe, “Daddy is hosting a royal family from China here at the hotel! Apparently the crown is being passed down to the son of the current queen and she has two grandsons my age, meaning two princes! Which means that I have to look my absolute best if I want to impress and, more importantly, woo them.”

“Oh! Right,” Sabrina nodded as her phone was answered by the Spa, “Hello, I’m calling to make an appointment for Chloe Bourgeois for her facial, body and beauty treatments…yes, the usual.”

“Tell them to give me the Day Glow Make up instead of the Summer Runway look they always give me,” ordered Chloe, opening her closet, rummaging through it to see if there was anything ‘suitable’ to wear when meeting the princes, “Ugh! Nothing! 72 limited edition Spring Season outfits and none of them are good enough. Eh, oh well. Guess I’ll have to go shopping after school.”

“When would you want the appointment?” asked Sabrina.

“Put it for this weekend,” stated Chloe, yanking out a white and red dress, holding it up against her mirror before tossing it, “The princes are to be coming on Monday so I need to be as fresh as possible. And when you’re done, call the chef downstairs to bring me lunch, I’m feeling a bit peckish.”

‘ _I cannot afford to screw this up, this could be my last chance of becoming actual royalty_ ,’ thought Chloe, admiring herself in the mirror, ‘ _Two princes for the price of one. One that would make me Queen and the other would make me a Princess, either one guarantees a better social standing for me. And best of all, they’re going to be in protective custody inside the hotel so there is no way any of my classmate can mess this up_!’

Sure, Rose may have gotten in as an akuma, but the security was pretty lacks during that time. This time they would be sure to beef up security, may hire a couple of bodyguards and police patrol. ‘ _Oh! I could totally ask Ladybug to be one of the guards_!’ Chloe thought excitatedly. Not only would she get to hang out with Paris’s superhero, but she could show her off to the princes and brag about being her BFF. ‘ _I mean it’s Ladybug, who wouldn’t be impress_?’

She held up a new dress her father had gifted her last week: a pale cream sequined mesh cocktail dress with a tiered, ruffled hem that reached her need. Limited edition Valentino-brand and it made her blue eyes really pop out. “Ugh, not even close,” she chucked the near $1K worth dress over her should.

“Look out, princes,” Chloe purred, “Chloe Bourgeois got her eyes on you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was chapter one of Glass Slippers! Oh, and because I know some of you will asked this, when I was creating Shen and Tingzhe Chen, I pictured Shen looking like a young Aaron Kwok Fu-shing and Tingzhe looking like Huang Zitao/Tao. They both gorgeous looking males and I thought they were perfect references for Marinette's cousins. Anyway, the plot is finally moving along with this.
> 
> Also, for those Green With Envy fans, don't worry, I haven't abandoned it. I just wanted to start on Glass Slippers since I always had some of the chapters written out. Plus, I thought I would be good to give my brain a break from one fic to go to another, that way, I don't suffer from long hiatus and getting bored with the fic I'm writing. I'll probably have the next chapter of Green With Envy out by next week so sit tight!
> 
> Chinese translation:
> 
> Xi-Feng nǚhuáng = Empress Xi-Feng
> 
> Jianguo wángzǐ = Prince Jianguo
> 
> Read and Review!

**Author's Note:**

> And done! I decided that since I don't want to be stuck in a writer's block limbo of ending re-writes and angry fans asking me when I'm going to update, I decided that I'll be working on Glass Slipper along with Green With Envy, since chancing perspective seems to help me quite a bit.
> 
> I am, by no means, an expert on Chinese monarch, government or culture. I'm trying to do research as best I can so that I can have a better understanding on how Eastern monarch ruled, their laws, their culture and how they would work if they still existed in a modern civilization. I apologize in advance if I write something and it offense my Chinese readers due to my lack of knowledge. Please let me know if I got something incorrect about Chinese culture so that I may correct it. Some aspects of Western monarch might mix in this fic, just giving everyone a heads up.
> 
> Plus it helps that Miraculous Ladybug takes place in the Quantic Universe so not everything has to be tied in reality. Sorry, I sometimes focus heavily on details, it's a flaw of mine.
> 
> I DO NOT KNOW CHINESE SO PLEASE DON'T KILL ME IN THE COMMENTS! I tried my best with online translators to get the most accurate working for this. I won't be using Chinese sentences very much in the fic but I do want to sprinkle some here and there just to have a more authentic feel to the story.
> 
> Another thing for people to note: Xi-Feng is technically the 'Empress dowager' since her husbands have passed but still keeps the title of 'Empress' as she is called in this chapter due to her ascending the throne before she married (I'll explain this in later chapters).
> 
> Anyway, there are the translations as best I could do:
> 
> Húdié = Butterfly
> 
> Wài Pó = Grandma
> 
> Xi-Feng nǚhuáng = Empress Xi-Feng
> 
> Zhèngfǔ guānyuán yāoqiú nǐ chūxí = Government officials have requested your attendance.
> 
> Hěn hǎo. Nǐ kěyǐ líkāi = Very well. You may leave/You are dismissed.
> 
> Marinette gōngzhǔ = Princess Marinette
> 
> Sabine Cheng gùlún gōngzhǔ = Princess Sabine Cheng (this title was usually given to the daughter of the Empress)
> 
> Also to note: Lafayette Saltiel Drapiers is a real store in Paris. Just thought some people might like to know.
> 
> Also, it would be very appreciated if you could send your thoughts and prayers to my family down in Florida whom will be facing Hurricane Irma in the new 36 hours. They've bunkered down in our home but I'm still worried about them while I'm at college a few states up. Thank you.
> 
> Read & Review


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